


In from the cold

by RainbowArches



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, I Believe in Jasper Sitwell, Implied Relationship, comfort fluff I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 08:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4699499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowArches/pseuds/RainbowArches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a long hard day in crappy weather.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In from the cold

Akela was sorely tempted to stay buried under the rubble of the building that had collapsed on her. It was warm under there, and quiet and dark, and she was exhausted enough not to care about the dust or the splinter that was trying to dig into her foot. But Jasper would be trapped if she didn’t get out and help him, and she didn’t think he was gone enough to want to sleep down here.

She crawled out from under the building and into the sleet that had started late that morning and fallen steadily into the night. It had not been on the forecast for today so she’d stepped out in a hoodie, thinking that would be enough. She was wet and covered in soot, the cold had sunk into her bones, and she was tired enough to cry. She didn’t cry though. She pulled Jasper out of the rubble, then got on her stomach so that she could find his crutches and dig those out too.

“Any sign of the other guy?” Jasper asked once he’d righted himself. He drooped slightly over his crutches, the excitement of the last seventeen hours finally weighing him down. There was a gash on his cheek and he was clenching his teeth to keep them from chattering without much luck. He looked like he’d been living outside for a week.

“I’m not going back in to look for him,” said Akela, taking in the sight of him. She imagined she didn’t look much better. “He was as good as dead before he brought the building down. The authorities can take it from here.”

The pavement had turned to ice, but there wasn’t much Akela could do to make it easier for Jasper. They had to take it slower than they would have liked, because he was clumsy on his crutches after the day they’d had. Akela’s fingers twitched, her hands ready to grab him if he slipped but having a hard time not grabbing him anyway. She still felt like she’d be helping if she held onto his arm, despite his many assurances that it wasn’t at all helpful.

A car pulled up next to them but they didn’t stop moving until they heard, “Hey! Guys! _Amador! Sitwell!_ ”

They stopped and turned to see Skye beckoning at them from the passenger window.

“Get in. We’ll give you a lift.”

They looked at each other, shrugged, and got in the car. Akela hadn’t seen Skye since the trial, had barely spoken two words to her at all; she hadn’t seen Mack, who was driving, in even longer. But she wasn’t about to pass up a ride after the day she’d had. Jasper swung himself in after her and pulled the crutches in to lie across their laps.

“You guys have been staying the safe house, right?” Mack asked. “It looked like it was being used when we got there.”

“Yeah,” said Akela. “You can stay. We’re shipping out tomorrow afternoon.”

Beside her Jasper had leaned back and closed his eyes, looking like he did when he wanted to rest but not sleep. She squeezed his hand, trying to warm it up.

Skye turned around so that she could talk to them. “Was that you guys back there? That pile of rubble that used to be a bank?”

“Sort of.” Then, because she felt the need to clarify, “It was abandoned before we got to it.”

“We know. Was there anyone else with you?”

“Some weird super powered neo-Nazi. He’s probably dead now. “

“He was a bad guy?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” She looked disappointed and almost as tired as Akela felt. Mack reached over and squeezed Skye’s knee sympathetically.”

“There are others,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll find someone.”

No one said anything for the rest of the drive. Jasper snored lightly. Akela was too tired to sleep. The sleet had stopped. It was just plain snowing now. She hoped the morning would bring more appropriate weather for this time of year. In the meantime, she wondered if she’d be able to summon the energy to make soup. Jasper probably wouldn’t be up to hobbling around the kitchen, but he was usually okay with sitting at the table and ordering her around.

It was a huge relief to finally be within ten feet of a bed. The safe house wasn’t heated that well but it was stocked with blankets and sleeping bags. Akela and Jasper always slept cuddled up anyway. Mack and Skye would probably not have a problem doing the same, judging by the way Skye leaned in as Mack rubbed his hands up and down her arms to warm her. Jasper headed straight to the bedroom to change into dry clothes.

Akela felt stiff from the cold. She poked around in the kitchen, taking stock of the vegetables and spices they had on hand.

“What are you looking for?” Mack asked from the doorway.

“Soup stuff.”

“I can do that. You go change, warm up.”

Mack started fishing things out of the fridge and the cupboards as though he knew exactly what he was doing, which was good enough for her.

Jasper was in the adjoining bathroom, cleaning the cut on his cheek.

“Will you live?”

“I think so.”

She ran a bath, letting the water run as hot as it could without scalding. They stripped out of their wet clothes as fast as they could, leaving them a slightly muddy pile on the floor, and climbed into the tub. It wasn’t an easy fit. Akela sat cross-legged with Jaspers legs draped over her knees. It wasn’t the most comfortable position but it was warm and a lot better than they’d felt ten minutes ago.

Jasper coaxed his finger into her fist. She’d been digging her fingernails into her palms again without realising, to see if it would make a dent. It never did anymore. She squeezed his hand gently and handed him the soak. “Get me back?” she said, leaning into him.

 

Akela and Jasper ambled into the kitchen about half an hour later, feeling cleaner and warmer and cozier in their pajamas. Mack and Skye had followed suit sometime before they finished making supper.

Turned out Mack did have some skill in the kitchen. Once everyone had been fed he made hot chocolate, which went over really well.

“I had to learn to make about six different versions of it perfectly,” he said. “Because my family can’t agree on one recipe for anything.”

“Are you guys looking for Inhumans too?” Skye asked.

Akela and Jasper looked at her blankly.

“People with powers,” she explained.

“Oh. No, we’re looking for Hydra.”

“Though there’s been a lot of overlap lately,” Jasper said. “Know anything about that?”

“Uh. I may or may not have dumped caseloads of terrigen crystals into the ocean.”

Mack, who had his arm across the back of Skye’s chair and was sprawled out like he was trying to lie down, head tilted back in a doze, huffed a laugh and squeezed her shoulder. Skye smacked him lightly. “He didn’t find it funny until I started being embarrassed about it,” she said.

“Huh,” said Akela. “Okay.” She hadn’t exactly been alarmed by her skin’s sudden impenetrability; it had been more convenient than anything. But she had wondered. She didn’t know what terrigen crystals were and she wasn’t sure she liked the term Inhuman, but she could piece together the facts easily enough. “And you’re looking for Inhumans because…”

“We just want to explain to them what’s going on and teach them how to control their powers so they won’t be scared or run into trouble.”

“Okay, well, if we meet any we’ll send them your way.”

Jasper glanced at her with not quite a smirk and sipped his hot chocolate.

They collapsed into bed gratefully. Akela draped herself over Jasper like a star fish because he felt comforted by the weight of her, no matter how sore he was. His arms snaked around her back and held her in place. They could here Mack and Skye setting up the hide-a-bed in the living room, talking softly. Jasper pressed kisses into her neck. Akela pulled the blanket over her ears and wrapped it tightly around them. They were out like a light.


End file.
